


Night of the Drills

by The_Whistler



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Halloween, Horror, Other, Robots, only not that horrible, robot phobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-21 12:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2468396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Whistler/pseuds/The_Whistler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Terror stalks the halls of Walter Manor... terror on tiny wheels, that makes a shrill lil bzzzing sound and strips screws... Steam Powered Giraffe AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night of the Drills

**Author's Note:**

> Read at your own risk. Oh, you think this is a joke?
> 
> Happy Halloween. ;)

"Peter! It's time for your appointment..."

"Alright, mom!"

Peter A Walter VI set down his work and sighed. He'd made good progress, but he still had a few kinks to work out. He pressed a button in the side of the little cylindrical device and it began to buzz, awaiting commands.

"Advance three inches," he ordered.

It rolled forward on its tiny wheels.

"Excellent..."

"Hello, Peter," said a deep voice beside him.

Peter jumped. A tall, shining silver robot in dark men's clothing had just appeared beside him... or so it had seemed. The soft hum of his inner workings must have been muffled by the buzzing of the little device.

"Oh... It's you, The Spine!" he said. "You startled me..."

"What's this?" asked the automaton, looking down at the device with a scowl.

"An automatic screwdriver!" Peter announced triumphantly. "Basically, a drill with an AI. I issue voice commands and it acts on them."

"What function does that serve? An electrical screwdriver is already a convenience..."

"Ah, but a hands-free model? Come on, that's a serious step up! I get so busy in here that it would be like an extra pair of hands! Well, once I fit it with magnets for ascending the shelves."

"I suppose..." The automaton eyed the drill with distrust. "Just as long as it only does what you say..."

"Oh, absolutely. I wouldn't risk it otherwise. The fail-safe can only be overcome with the access codes, which I have stored here." He tapped his head.

"Good enough."

"Well, I gotta get going! You'd think the last thing I'd want to build right now is a drill..."

"I still don't see how you can have dental work..."

"Well, I can't without a team of Blue Matter experts involved. That's why I require an overnight stay. But I can't ignore this tooth any longer. Keep an eye on things, okay? Rabbit saw me making the screwdriver and she wants it to be her new pet. Keep her out of here. And Hatchworth... Well, pretty much the same. Don't let Rabbit trick him into any dark rooms."

"He can handle the dark. He just doesn't like it when they're closed in. Too much like that vault."

"Well, he was in it how many years? All the more reason to have no doors around here," Peter said approvingly.

"I suppose."

"Oh! Almost forgot..." He turned back and switched off the drill.

\----------

The Spine watched Peter and his parents drive away. It was typical... Mommy and Daddy taking him to the dentist. The man never grew up...

"Whatcha d-d-doin' bro?"

He turned to see another automaton hanging out of a window and staring at him. She was wearing blonde wig sideways... But at least she was dressed. Since they had installed her bust, that had been a frequent issue...

"Nothing, Rabbit. Peter just left for the dentist."

"Oh. Weird."

"How is that weird, Rabbit?"

"The humans and all their maintenance. No schedules or nothing. They just know..."

"It's called feeling, Rabbit. Humans are different from us, they feel things..."

"What kind of feeling? How does Peter know his tooth is bad?"

"Pain, Rabbit! How many years have you lived with humans? I know you know all this, why pester me about it?"

"I never really got it, okay? Even when they changed me back into a lady, it didn't hurt that bad..."

"Well, it's not so different, really, from when you need maintenance..."

"Then why do they cry?"

"Cry?"

"Some of them, over the years. Ma cried when she had the twins..."

"Well, really, Rabbit! That was childbirth! Surely it doesn't compare to a little hole in a tooth."*

"So it's..."

"Worse."

"Like worse how?"

The Spine sighed. "I obviously don't know, do I? But from what I've heard... It's closer to having your chassis removed."

"Oh, man... yeah. That hurts."

The Spine nodded. They both knew just how much it hurt to have their chassis removed piecemeal. They had been captured in Vietnam and experienced just that.

"Anyway," he said gruffly, "I'm in charge until they get back."

"Who says?"

"Peter asked me to keep an eye on things. You and Hatchworth are things, so I'm in charge. Now get inside before any more parts fall off." He started inside.

"I ain't a thing, Gigantor!" he heard her roar as he entered. In a deep bass voice left over from her years as a male presenting automaton, she added, "I'm a lady!"

\----------

The Spine had an uneventful evening... for him. The only problem had been when Rabbit chased Hatchworth with a padlock for a while, yelling, "The vault had a baby, Hatchy! It says you're the father!"

But now they were locked away... well, in stasis in their rooms. It was close enough. The humans in the manor, too, were each in bed, except for the Walter Girls, who were busy in one of the labs, as usual.

He sat down in the library with a newspaper for a little while, but couldn't concentrate. He kept thinking of Peter's new toy. It was harmless enough, but he hadn't cared for the sound of drills since Vietnam... in that they filled him with a crawling horror. He could cope, of course... the same way those afraid of spiders could sometimes cope long enough to capture and dispose of one found in the house.

So while receiving maintenance, he waited patiently, afraid but stoic, knowing he was in good hands. And no one was the wiser... well, no one except Rabbit, who had watched him looking the same as always, while he secretly grew terrified every time anyone made minor repairs around the house...

His neck ticked sideways and he read the same passage for the tenth time. He should go into stasis... his docking station was in his room but he preferred to power down on a wedge pillow in a bed, like the humans did. But he would have to pass the lab with that creepy little drill to get to his room...

It didn't really matter where he decided to settle in and recharge. He set aside his paper, turned off the lamp to save power, wriggled a bit deeper into his chair for stability, and drifted into stasis... 

_It was dark. Not the pale darkness of night. The grim, unyielding darkness of forced blindness, disconnected optics. He couldn't move... his motor control had been deactivated before they began. Around him, he heard strange voices, cold and clinical, speaking Vietnamese. Asking for tools, categorizing parts, and the drill, always the shrill electrical whine of the cursed drill. He heard each piece clink onto a tray as it was handed off and taken away. He couldn't even scream... not out loud. And it did hurt, so help him it hurt!_

_"No more...."  he sobbed._

Rrrzzzzzzz!

He sat bolt upright in his chair.

"The drills..." he whispered, looking wide-eyed into the darkness. But he could see; there was dim light from the window. He was at home.

"Rabbit?" he called nervously.

It sounded a bit like her old buzz saw. The noise faded into the distance.

"Passing motorcycle?" he murmured. But it had sounded like it was inside!

He got up and headed into the hall. Silence. He decided to check on the others.

Rabbit and Hatchworth were still in stasis. The Walter Girls were still at work. He went to Steve Negrete's room... and found a door.

"What in the world?" he said, frowning.

Peter VI had no love of doors... The Spine even wondered sometimes whether it qualified as a phobia. Whether or not it was, the wooden mask over his face, he said, was enough of a barrier. After his accident, he had walked into several doors and that was it, they were all removed. His choice was only reinforced when they at last freed their brother, Hatchworth, from the vault where he had been stored years before. Peter had repaired the toxic leak in his core at long last... but it had become clear that now that he was out, Hatchworth was desperately afraid of being sent back in. He seemed unafraid of almost anything else... but he, too, hated closed doors.

Yet here, with all the many reasons for removing them... on Steve's room, was a door.

The Spine took hold of the handle and tried to turn it. It opened quietly; fitted perfectly into place. Steve was fast asleep. He turned and walked out.

As he was puzzling over this development, he heard a soft rzzz and the door slammed shut, startling him. He heard Steve inside the room, saying, "Ungh... What? What was that?"

The Spine tried the doorknob again but it wouldn't budge. He heard a soft click and a glow appeared under the door. The doorknob rattled.

"Steve?" he called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! Where'd the door come from?"

"I was wondering the same thing! I think Rabbit has been up to something..."

He stopped. Rabbit was in stasis after spending all evening teasing her little brother. When would she have had the chance?

"Yeah, that makes sense. Well, look, I'm going back to bed. See if you can get her to take it down in the morning."

Steve, always a good sport, keeping a cool head as usual.

The Spine shrugged. "Alright. Pleasant dreams."

He walked slowly away, puzzling. It had to have been Rabbit... although the Walter Girls weren't past a prank. He returned to their lab to ask about it... and found another door.

On the verge of swearing, he grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open. It was empty. They'd already gone to bed? Or were they slipping from room to room putting up doors? But why put one on the lab before leaving it?

The whole thing was starting to feel wrong. He turned back toward the bedrooms. As he passed the lab where he had found Peter working earlier, he heard another rzzz and jumped. He stepped in through the doorway.

It was dark. His photoreceptors had night vision but it wasn't as crisp as full light. He peered at the table where Peter had left his new invention. It looked empty... He reached for the light switch.

_flip flip flip_

He looked around sharply. "Who's in here?"

_flip... flip..._

"Rabbit? You're not being funny..."

  _flip_

Something plummeted from the top of the shelving unit beside him and struck him in the shoulder. Before he could get a look at it, it struck the floor and zipped under a utility shelf.

The Spine swore. "Hatchy must have snuck a kitten in here again!"

He crouched and peered under the shelf. There was a soft glow, reflecting the light from his photoreceptors, and a faint growling sound.

"Come on, now... you can't hurt me so you might as well come along quietly."

He reached under, groping carefully around for the kitten. Something caught his thumb.

"Like I said," he chuckled as it tugged at his thumb, growling, "you can't hurt..."

He stopped short. Something felt... wrong.

_Rrzzzzz!_

There was a pinching sensation, or what he had always thought of as being one... and a soft clank. It wasn't tugging at his thumb now. It had grabbed the next finger. He tried to flick it away with his thumb but couldn't seem to connect. He pulled his hand out and gasped in shock, falling backward against the door frame.

His thumb was gone! And clinging to his finger, removing its bolts with its telescoping business end, was Peter's screwdriver!

The Spine cried out and flung it against the wall. He heard a sharp crack as it hit and watched it drop to the floor. It appeared to be deactivated.

He stared at it, still slumped where he had fallen. If he'd had a heart, it would have been pounding. He righted himself and groped under the shelf with a slightly trembling left hand, and found his thumb and the little bolts that held it in place. Once he'd found them all, he hastily reassembled his hand the best he could. He needed some tools to tighten the bolts... He flicked a nervous glance at the screwdriver. No, not that. He rose and carefully picked it up and put it back on the table before turning on the light to find the parts.

Once his thumb was reattached, he turned back to the screwdriver. Maybe it was broken, he couldn't be sure, but he'd feel a lot better if it was stripped down to its components before he left.

But when he looked at it more closely, he stopped. That was odd... in the dim light of his night vision, he'd been sure it was the same one, but now that he saw it better, it was clearly a different design. Had Peter made more than one?

He heard a cry. The screwdriver would have to wait. He turned and ran toward the main part of the house.

Hatchworth was screaming.

When The Spine reached his room, he found another door.

"Hatchworth!" he shouted, grabbing the doorknob so quickly that it it snapped off. He threw it down and slammed his fist against the door. There was a crack.

"The Spine!" howled Hatchworth. "Let me out! I do not want to be in the vault again!"

"Hatchworth! You're not..."

"The Spine! Help! The Spine! Help! The Spine..."

"Calm down, Hatchy!" he barked. "You're in a loop. Reboot your systems!"

He heard Hatchworth choke, "Reboot system!"

Silence fell. The Spine took the opportunity to level a well-placed kick at the door, striking with his heel on the spot left by the snapped doorknob. The door flew open. He hurried in and flipped the light switch... nothing.

"Hatchy?" He could hear the systems beep and a pair of blue photoreceptors lit on the other side of the room.

"Hatchworth online and ready to serve you," he said pleasantly. In the next moment, he gasped and lunged at The Spine. "Spine! I heard a strange noise and came out of stasis early and found that I was alone in the darkness. I thought for a moment... But of course it is silly. I have been repaired."

"Yeah, Hatchy," The Spine said soothingly, hugging him. "We'd never put you in a vault again, not without telling you."

"I have been very foolish. Activating embarrassment mode." He put his hand over his face and groaned.

"No, it's alright. You were in there a long time. I can understand why you'd be afraid to go back. But what did you hear? I've been finding these doors up all over the manor and there's a buzzing noise..."

"Yes! It was a buzzing noise! I thought I imagined it. I have a very good imagination..."

"Calm down... you're sounding like your stage character! We'd better check on Rabbit."

Hatchworth nodded. "Of course. I feel much better now. Yes, she may be trapped as well. But it would not trouble her much, would it?"

"She'd be angry mostly... that is, unless she's the one doing it."

"The Spine! Are you suggesting our sister is pranking us? She knows how long I was locked away. She would not be so callous!"

"Yes, she would! But you're right. Her pranks are usually messier."

They hurried a few doors down to Rabbit's room and stopped as one. In the center of the hall, buzzing softly, was an automatic screwdriver.

"What?" gasped The Spine. He clutched his hands to his chest, rubbing uneasily at his right thumb.

"Oh, it is so cute, The Spine!" cried Hatchworth, clasping his hands joyously. "I did not know we had a pet!"

"We don't," The Spine replied darkly.

He couldn't tell, in the dim light, if this was the same one that had attacked him, or the one Peter had shown him. It revved its tiny motor, twitching a targeting beam back and forth between them. Hatchworth started forward, reaching down.

"Come here, little guy..."

"No!" cried The Spine, catching him by the arm. Hatchworth turned and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"You are frightened, brother," Hatchworth said with a pleasant smile. "What is the trouble? It is only one small tool!"

The buzzing grew louder. Hatchworth turned slowly, his smile gradually fading, as several more screwdrivers rolled in from the shadows around them. The were blocking the way to Rabbit's room.

"He has friends..." Hatchworth said quietly, sounding less enchanted.

Still more rolled into the hall. Hatchworth took a step backward.

"The Spine?" he gasped, staring at the masses of screwdrivers. The first tool revved its motor and they all started forward with startling speed.

"Run!" roared The Spine.

He turned and pelted down the hall, Hatchworth hard on his heels, a mass of little screwdrivers in pursuit. Their little motors sounded like the snarling of a mass of angry cats.

"Why are we running?" asked Hatchworth conversationally.

"They'll take us apart!" The Spine cried, panic in his voice.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know! One of them took my thumb off earlier but I don't know why! Peter made one... ONE!" he shrieked. "Where have they all come from?"

"But The Spine! If they want to take us apart, we should be running the other way!"

"Are you nuts?" squeaked The Spine.

They scrambled into the Hall of Wires and slammed the door shut. They heard several loud thunks. There was a loud, buzzing chorus and the noise retreated. The Spine sank back against the door, shuddering.

"They can't get in... they can't get in!" he cried, taking comfort in the words.

"No! Open the door!" cried Hatchworth.

"They'll come in! They'll take us apart, Hatchworth! They'll take us apart..."

"They have our sister!"

"Sister..." The Spine repeatedly, clicking his photoreceptors, trying to focus.

"Our sister Rabbit! What has come over you? They have our sister! We have to go back for her!"

"But... but they..." He stopped, looking up at his brother in anguish.

He couldn't deny it. Rabbit... older brother then or older sister now, Rabbit was the one who had helped him through more rough spots that he cared to count. Rabbit, who might even now be stripped down to her framework...

He was terrified. He realized it now. He wasn't just unnerved, he was in a blind panic. Those drills... how many times had he heard them in the night since Vietnam, taking off his chassis plate by plate as he was forced to stare into a bright white light, unable to see he attackers. And then, when they finally got to his photoreceptors and shut off his vision...

The same as they had done to Rabbit. She had been his comfort and security back in that cell between dismantling sessions, even though she was in pain, too. And now she was alone... just like they had each been back then, on that table... If they had her, if they were taking her apart, she would be so afraid...

"Alright," he said weakly, trying to sound more determined and failing. "Let's... let's go save Rabbit."

After a brief discussion, Hatchworth decided he would fight the drills by hand, his cannon being too high powered to be safe to use inside, while The Spine grabbed Rabbit. If she was still intact, she would be very heavy, and The Spine, as Hatchworth had put it, was pants-crapping terrified by the drills. The Spine agreed irritably and they crept cautiously into the hall. Three drills were waiting for them. The Spine gasped but Hatchworth, now expecting an attack, dispatched them with his fancy shoes, stomping them like roaches.

"Pie," he said calmly.

"Cake, you mean..." The Spine said weakly.

"I know the difference between pie and cake, The Spine."

The Spine shrugged and they crept back along the hallways toward Rabbit's room. As they went, they could hear the humans in their rooms, shouting to one another and rattling their doorknobs. From what he could gather, they'd heard Hatchworth screaming and had been trying to escape ever since.

"Should we help them?" he said uneasily. "At least tell them what's happening?"

"There's no time. Rabbit needs us more, The Spine. The humans are not afraid or in pain. They just sound angry." He jogged past their rooms, ignoring their shouts.

The Spine nodded and hurried after him. He wasn't used to Hatchworth taking charge; the bronze robot didn't usually want to be bothered with it. But under the circumstances, it was a great relief.

As they neared Rabbit's room, they heard the buzzing sound again. The little drills began to charge. It took The Spine every bit of courage he had to keep from running.

"I have them, The Spine!" cried Hatchworth, wading in, stomping each one as it approached. "Go! Now!"

The Spine grimaced, summoned his courage, and bolted past his younger brother and into the room. He stopped short and cried out.

Rabbit was on the floor, surrounded by drills. Her head plate was open and her limbs removed. He would have been sick if he'd had a stomach. Her photoreceptors opened slowly.

"The Spine..." she said faintly. "Help me..."

The drills working on her rounded on him and he felt the rising panic. "Hatchy!" he screamed.

"I'm busy! Get in there and save Rabbit! I'm fine!"

_I'm not!_

He looked again at Rabbit, in pieces on the floor.

"Please..." she said, her voice crackling.

He felt a surge of anger, remembering her in Vietnam, dismantled on the floor of their cell, trying to comfort him despite her own suffering... He let out a roar and kicked the drills out of the way, scooping up her head and body assembly, leaving the limbs behind. What was important was the memory storage and Blue Matter core...

He bolted from the room, clenching his teeth to keep from shrieking in his panic as they closed in behind him and took up the pursuit. But in the hall it was worse... he found Hatchworth covered in the drills. How many were there?

"Run, brother!" Hatchworth roared. "Run! Do not stop!"

The Spine backed down the hall. Hatchworth smashed his body against the wall and several screwdrivers fell inert onto the growing pile.

"Run, The Spine!"

"Hatchy!" he cried, anguished, kicking stray drills as they approached.

Hatchworth staggered. His feet had been removed. He looked down at the remains of his favorite shoes and let out a war cry, slamming against the wall on the other side. More drills fell.

"Run! Don't look back!" he cried as they removed his left arm.

"I... I can't..."

"They'll come for you two next!" He shuddered and fell into the midst of them as his legs were detached. "Get help! I can be reassembled!" The drills took off his right arm and swarmed across his neck and chest. "Go!"

"Run, brother!" said a quiet voice by his ear.

He jumped, but found it was only Rabbit. She looked on through the glow of her mismatched photoreceptors.

"He's right!" she said in a creaky voice. "We have to get help!"

The Spine nodded, took one look back at Hatchy, and turned and ran.

"Run!" Hatchy was still yelling, unable to see that they had already gone. "Run, The Spi-

The Spine clamped his eyes shut for just a moment, and sobbed.

"Are you okay, brother?" croaked Rabbit.

"You're asking me that? Hatchy's been reduced to an erector set and you... look at you!"

"I can't really do that..."

"It's just an expression..." he said weakly as he ran past the human wing.

It was quiet, but at the sound of him thundering past, the cries started afresh.

"Hey! What are you three up to?"

"You robots are in big trouble!"

"I need to use the bathroom, dang it! This isn't funny!"

Rabbit snorted.

"How can you laugh right now?" The Spine asked irritably, making for the HoW.

"I never miss the chance to enjoy a good joke, bro."

"Oh, Rabbit..."

It would have been comforting if he wasn't so terrified. He ran inside the HoW and slammed the door.

\----------- 

"So what now?" asked Rabbit as he carefully closed her head plate and examined her. "We hide in here while they take the place apart? And Hatchy, what about Hatchy?"

"I don't know... He..." The Spine looked down at his hands. His voice trembling, he choked, "He told me to run, Rabbit... He said he'd be okay... he said he'd be okay..."

She twisted her head around to look at him. "Hey...  Don't break down now. You're all we've got! It's go-go-gonna be okay, buddy. It may take a while but Pete'll get him back together..."

"I know... but he wanted to go back in and save you and now he... Oh, lord... Hatchy..."

"Spine!" she snapped. "Get it together! Where's the big strong robut? Huh? What's come over you?"

"That's what Hatchy asked me," he said thickly. "Rabbit... it's the drills. I can't... I keep hearing that sound and remembering..."

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Whaddya mean, 'oh'?"

"'Nam flashbacks."

"Well... I guess you could call them that."

"Well, yeah, dummins. Tha-tha-that's what they are. And I understand. But we can't just hide in here while they take the place apart, we gotta do something!. So let's just concentrate on that."

"Right." He tried to calm himself, to think clearly. Hatchworth had sacrificed himself to save Rabbit. He couldn't waste that. "We need to get word to Peter."

"Why?" she demanded. "What can he do?"

"He designed the first drill. It responds to his voice commands."

"What? Then it's his fault! Who needs his help? We can handle this!"

"But he may be the only one who can stop them! If I'm right, it heard him telling me to keep and eye on things and took it upon itself to comply. But I guess it thought it needed support..."

"Why take us apart, though?"

"Parts, I guess? Or to keep us out of trouble... well..." He chuckled weakly. "You and Hatchy anyway."

"What?"

"Peter told me to keep an eye on you two and to keep you out of the lab."

"That jerk! Yeah, forget him! We'll find a way to keep ourselves together!"

"Rabbit..."

She slumped the best she could and scowled. "I hope they take _him_  apart next!"

"Ew..."

"Oh, yeah... he's made of meat."

"I'm going to call him," The  Spine said determinedly.

"It's a waste of time..."

"If he can tell the first one to shut down, I don't know... maybe they all will!"

"What, are you te-te-tellin' me the first one is their queen?"

"Hush, Rabbit." He triggered his wireless   connection. "Peter VI," he commanded it.

"This is Peter A Walter VI of Walter Robotics. I'm working on the science right now, but if you leave a message, I will respond with all speed. If this is a life-threatening emergency, please call 911... unless there's a significant likelihood that Walter Robotics is liable..."

The Spine groaned and almost severed the connection. His phone wasn't even switched on! He should have known, under the circumstances... It was an actual hospital stay, he wouldn't expect to be using his phone. Still, he had to try...

"Peter!" he cried at the tone. "Please listen... the drill you invented is making more drills... lots more drills, and Hatchworth has been taken apart and Rabbit is missing a lot of parts and it's only a matter of time before they..."

RZZZZZZZ!!!

He jumped violently, knocking Rabbit over.

"Hey!" she cried, wobbling helplessly on her face.

He heard the sound of something small and hard hitting the floor outside and the door shuddered.

"The bolts! They're coming in!" he screamed. "Peter!"

"Connection lost..." buzzed a voice.

"What?" he cried. "When? Did any of my message get through?"

"Spine..." Rabbit said, slightly muffled by the floor.

"Not now, Rabbit!" 

"Stop freaking out, bro..."

RRRZZZZZZ!!!

"What?" He heard more screws falling from the door. He scooped up Rabbit and scrambled for the back of the HoW, screaming, "Qwerty! Online!"

"QWERTY IZ ONLIEN!"

"Activate wires! Get us up to the ceiling, now!"

"OMG SPI3N! R00D!"

"Just do it! Now!"

The wires snaked down as The Spine slithered, head, spine and all, from his body. A hatch opened and the body was hastily stored. He and Rabbit were lifted into the upper parts of the HoW as the last bolt fell along with the door. The Spine concentrated on trying not to panic, as the soft hum of many idling little drills entered the room. Rabbit was looking at him. He put the tail end of his spine in front of his lips, shushing her silently. She nodded, a strange smile on her face.

 _Must be nerves_ , he thought, looking down once more. The little drills started taking apart the lower consoles. The Spine shook slightly. One of those was Qwerty's CPU!

"They'll use it to find us!" he mouthed.

"What?" Rabbit asked by wifi. "I don't read lips."

How had he forgotten the wifi? "If they access Qwerty, they'll know we're here!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that..."

"What? Why?"

"They're on the wifi too."

"What?" he sent, staring at her in the darkness.

She smiled once more. "That went really well. I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd fall for it."

It took a moment to sink in... as the wires began to slowly lower them to the floor.

"I told you to stop freaking out," she said calmly.

No...

"Rabbit!" he gasped.

He started to slither back up the wires but they caught him and held him fast.

"Qwerty!"

There was no response. He saw sparks below him as the little drills ripped out Qwerty's circuit board.

"Qwerty..." he whispered, trembling. He recognized, to his horror, parts taken from Hatchworth, now incorporated into new drills. He closed his eyes and turned his head, sobbing.

"Spine, buddy! Do-do-don't get yehrself in a stew! It's gonna be alright."

"How?" he choked. "Rabbit... how could you..."

They had her. They'd had her head open when he picked her up... they must have reprogrammed her...

He was alone now. Just like on that slab in Vietnam...

They bolted him against the wall and put the door back into place, reaching the higher bolts by stacking themselves on top of one another. More drills trundled in with Rabbit's missing parts and she was reassembled on the spot. She daintily pressed her wig into place after thanking the little drill that had brought it to her. Its buzzing sounded suspiciously like purring...

"There," she cooed, picking it up and stroking it like a kitten before putting it back down. "All nice and calm. C'mere."

A drill that The Spine, with his photographic memory, recognized as the original, rolled up to Rabbit. She picked it up, opened a panel on her arm, and snapped it into place. There was a hiss and she closed her eyes as if inhaling a delicious smell.

"Oh..." she sighed luxuriously. "That feels good... Arms... legs... so much space, such height!"

She sounded different...  no longer croaking, her voice low and pleasant. He stared at her as she opened her eyes and looked him, smirking. "So, silver automaton. You were to keep an eye on things. Well done."

"You... you're... the drill... you're the drill..."

"Ssh..." she touched her finger to his lips. "Don't be afraid. It won't hurt."

"What? Taking me apart?" he cried, hysteria taking over. "Like Hell it won't!"

"No, not at all! Is that really what you expected us to do? My children took your brother apart because he wouldn't stop smashing them. He played his part a little too well."

"His part? What... Hatchworth... he would never help you!"

"Not willingly, no. He proved harder to access than she did... she really should take better care of herself. When I couldn't bypass his firewall, I was forced to use other means to persuade him. I remember someone mentioning he doesn't like closed, dark spaces..."

"But I let him out! He was screaming!"

"Part of the act. Of course, he didn't have to fake the terror. He really is very afraid of being trapped again. And even though you helped lock him up, he is also very afraid of you getting hurt. I just had to promise to keep you safe... somewhere. And so I will."

"You aren't... you aren't going to take me apart..."

"No! To dismantle a glorious construction like yourself would be a sin! I couldn't possibly do that. Those legs alone..." She gave him a look he never wanted to see from Rabbit again. "But I can't just let you run around either. And while your sister is lovely, she has certain... issues, doesn't she? Unlike your brother, it took nothing at all to break through her firewall... And all that old hardware, doesn't believe in upgrades outside of the installation of this rack of hers... and I'm just not feeling right in that anyway. I think I need something a little more... butch."

"No..." He struggled against the metal bars now crisscrossing his spinal assembly. "No!"

Rabbit beamed and moved closer. "Like I said," she told him, opening a panel on her free arm and pulling out a cable, "this won't hurt."

"NOOOOOO!!!!"

\----------

His mouth was still tingly as they pulled into the driveway. Peter VI got out quickly, only to find the front of the house now had a door. His mother, capable Walter woman that she was, hastily picked the lock with a hairpin.

They found the humans screaming in their rooms. His mother got to work with her hairpin, freeing Steve Negrete first.

"Peter!" he cried, running out in his boxer shorts. "I tried calling and it said the connection was lost!"

"The Spine left me a message but it got cut short! What's been going on here?"

"I dunno! I woke up and found a door. Spine said Rabbit was pranking me... but then I heard Hatchworth screaming and couldn't get out, and the girls were yelling... I don't mind telling you, man, I am kinda freaked out."

"Well, come with me and we'll find out what's going on."

"Great! Oh, hang on..."

He ran back into his room and grabbed a bike helmet and an aluminum baseball bat. Peter looked him up and down, shrugged, and hurried away with Steve in close pursuit.

\----------

The Spine thrashed. Rabbit snatched off his hat.

"How'd you keep that on all this time?" she asked, tugging off his hair and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Let me go! Please!" he begged, fighting with all his strength. He thought he heard a bolt give way...

She shook her head, flicking open an access panel. "Wrong number of pins..."

As she reached for the other side of his head, a second bolt popped loose and with one last great yank he was free and slithering across the floor, the little drills and Rabbit close behind.

"This is fun but she just isn't built for running!" called the drill. "You won't be harmed, I promise!"

He scrambled for the chamber containing his body. If he could just get inside it...

"You're going to get that pretty face all scratched up!" she wailed.

"Access 925 silver!" he hissed, and the chamber opened with a rush of steam. He whipped around and dropped in before it had a chance to elevate, clamping himself into place. He raised both arms as soon as he was connected, slamming them onto the floor outside and vaulting himself from the deep tube. He landed on his feet, still shaking, and started frantically kicking away the approaching drills. "Rabbit" stopped short, still holding out the wire.

"G-get away from me!" The Spine cried, firing up his Tesla coil. His sleeve split wide and the button exploded as electricity seared across the fabric.

"Ugh!" she groaned. "The damage you're doing! I wanted to look hot!"

"Let my sister go! Stop all this and you won't get hurt..."

She snorted with laughter and let the wire retract into her arm. "So you have those pretty legs on again... you're still outnumbered. And I can take them apart until I have what I want, and reassemble them good as new."

"No..." he sobbed. "Just stop... please..."

She put one finger to her cheek thoughtfully. "No."

The drills charged. He looked at the one on her wrist. They could reprogram Rabbit later... but maybe if he destroyed that one... if his theory was correct...

Pushing down his fear, he leaped over the mass of screwdrivers and straight at Rabbit. Her eyes opened wide for just a second and she grinned roguishly, whipping aside just as he came near. He roared in panic as he overbalanced and hit the floor, hard.

The drills whirled and converged. He struggled to his feet and started kicking at them. Rabbit was closer now. He started snatching up drills and flinging them at her head.

"Hey!" she barked, sounding much like her old self. "Knock it off!"

He worked his way closer, kicking drills and throwing more at her, keeping her distracted. He lunged and caught her by the arm.

They struggled as he tried to grip the little drill, hoping it hadn't uploaded entirely into her memory. If it had... He refused to consider it. This was hard enough.

He felt sharp pains in his feet and legs. The drills had started taking him apart.

"Give up! We have you, stupid!" she gasped, trying to break free. But Rabbit, as she had noted, was no match for The Spine... until they took him apart, anyway...

He hooked his fingers around the drill and snapped it off. He fired his Tesla coil, sending a massive surge of electricity through it before flinging it at the wall. It shattered. Rabbit slumped to the floor and sat on her knees, head hanging down. The drills stopped their work. The Spine, his legs in pieces, fell at last into a pile of chrome parts and tight trousers. He struggled up onto his hands.

"Rabbit?" he said tremulously. "Rabbit?"

Her head slowly lifted.

"Rabbit?" he whispered.

"Now look what you made me do," she said with a pout, picking up a piece of his leg. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth."

"No..." he sobbed.

She pulled the cable out once more.

"Now be a good boy..."

He sank to the floor. He had nothing left... The drill had them all now... the horde of screwdrivers resumed their motion and began dismantling his arms. He shuddered in pain and misery.

"Please..." he gasped, looking up at her. "No more..."

There was a deafening clang on the door. "Spine?" roared the voice of Steve Negrete.

"Steve..."

"No!" screeched Rabbit. "He's mine now!"

"What?" Steve called, as though she'd asked for a pickle.

Rabbit reached swiftly for The Spine's head panel as a voice bellowed through the crack of the door. It was Peter.

"Access code 1889 full shut down!" he roared.

All the little drills stopped, but Rabbit grinned wickedly and jammed the cable ruthlessly at his head.

"Stop Rabbit!" screamed The Spine.

"What?" cried Peter. "Oh... oh... um... Rabbit access code 8675309 full shut down!"

Rabbit slumped once more where she sat, her clockwork grinding to a halt with the wire a scant inch from his head. The Spine lay, looking up at her hand, too stunned to react.

"The Spine? Are you okay? Spine! Did it work?"

"Yeah..." he choked. "Yes!" he tried, louder.

He heard a key in the lock. Moments later, Peter was crouching beside him. The others were muttering in wonder at all the little drills, gasping as they recognized parts from Hatchworth.

"Spine... how are you, old man?" Peter asked gently.

The Spine stared at him for a moment, then lay his head back on the remains of his own legs and began to sob.

\-----------

The Spine sat reading his paper. Things had been very quiet since the night of the drills. Peter had dismantled the little army and the manor had been searched for additional units. All found were in full shut down, to their collective relief.

The Walter Girls had painstakingly removed all infected parts of Rabbit's processor. She couldn't remember any of what had happened since she had gone into stasis; Peter said it had all been deleted with the malicious AI.

Now he and the staff were hard at work reassembling Hatchworth.

The Spine flipped to the next page. There was a sale on small power tools... he sighed and lowered the paper.

"The Spine! He's done! We're just about to power him up and check for problems. You coming?" Peter asked, sticking his head around the door frame.

"Yeah! Come on, bro!" Rabbit called, jogging past.

"Coming," The Spine replied. He put down the paper and followed.

Hatchworth was powered up successfully and The Spine gave him a hug. "Thank you," he said. "You did well."

"But... I betrayed you, brother..." Hatchworth confessed miserably, not returning the hug. "The nasty little drill said its babies would take us all apart and lock us in the vault... there were so many babies, The Spine! But I told it where it could put its babies, I did... and then... it showed me Rabbit... she was already in pieces..."

He hung his head. Rabbit stepped in and hugged him, too. Hatchworth cried out and flailed his arms.

"She's alive!" he screamed.

"It's okay! The nasty little drill is gone, Hatchy!" cried Peter. "This is just Rabbit..."

"Rabbit! You were in pieces..." he wailed.

"It's okay lil buddy," she said soothingly. "I'm just glad to see _you_ in one piece."

"I think maybe we should get out of here for a while," Peter suggested. "Maybe a walk around the park."

Hatchworth brightened. "That is a capital idea, Peter Walter VI. The park has many little dogs."

Rabbit and The Spine led their younger brother outside, Peter following. They shut the door as they went. Peter gave it a long look before following.

"Are you going to take it down?" The Spine asked as he caught up to them. Hatchworth had already found a little terrier to pet.

"I think maybe I can leave that one up. It does make some sense to have a front door, at least."

The Spine smiled. "It's not a bad thing to face your fears, Peter." He smiled sheepishly. "Sometimes you find out you can handle more than you knew."

Peter shrugged and patted his shoulder lightly. He turned to the others and was pulled into an argument about whether Hatchworth could have a pet.

In Walter Manor, there was quiet. Steve Negrete had the day off. The Walter Girls were watering their horticultural project out back... which took quite a while considering the size of the plants.

Inside the manor, all was still.

Well...

almost all.

_rzzzzz..._

**Author's Note:**

> There was an alternate ending, much darker, where Hatchworth did what he did to save everyone in the Manor and the drill successfully stole The Spine's body, holding him hostage to keep Hatchworth from telling or trying to stop it. But that demanded a follow up and as cool as Hatchy 's redemption would be, I had zero ideas for it and didn't want to leave it open. So instead, I leave you with a little needle poke. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
